Abstract: Guidelines drafted by the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) state that infants born to mothers suspected of
carrying the hepatitis C virus should be tested for the infection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that
approximately 1.8 percent of Americans carry HCV, including 0.3
percent under the age of 19. In the current issue of the journal
Pediatrics, the AAP does not recommend routine screening of all
pregnant women for the virus but says it should be standard for
infants born to high-risk mothers. The AAP notes that
breast-feeding by HCV-infected mothers remains safe and that
children with the virus should not be excluded from child care
centers due to the disease.

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